


All Smiles Have Become Archaic

by InsideMyBrain



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Based On A Short Story, Case Fic, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Dubious Ethics, Dystopia, Episode Style, Ethical Dilemmas, Love Confessions, M/M, Mirror Universe, Pining, Star Trek Secret Santa, Star Trek Secret Santa 2019, Utopia, kind of, the writer knows nothing about neuroscience and it shows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21814558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsideMyBrain/pseuds/InsideMyBrain
Summary: Beaming up from a peaceful mission on a utopian planet, Kirk and Spock find themselves on an alternate Enterprise, where everything seems too good to be true.(Written from the prompt, "Kirk and Spock enter another mirror universe, but it's not the bad one. It's the weird one.")
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 8
Kudos: 86
Collections: Star Trek Secret Santa 2019





	1. Teaser

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ingiburger_Johnsons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ingiburger_Johnsons/gifts).



> Title from Ursula LeGuin's short story The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.
> 
> "Weird" can be defined in a lot of ways, so I hope the direction I've decided to take this fic in is okay! Feedback is very much appreciated :)

“This place is gorgeous,” Kirk mutters to Spock, as soon as he gets a chance. Their hosts for the day have slipped out of the room for a moment, to converse between themselves.

“Indeed,” Spock agrees, looking around the spacious, ornately decorated room. “It is clear this society is quite wealthy.”

“No wonder the Federation wants them as allies.” Kirk smiles. His communicator beeps just then, so he pulls it out. “Kirk here.”

“Captain, we’ve got a bit of a problem,” Scotty says on the other end.

Kirk raises his eyebrows at Spock and sighs. “Well, go on.”

“There’s an ion storm fast approaching,” he informs them. “If we don’t beam you up before it hits, the interference with the transporter system will be too much, and you’ll be stranded on the planet.”

“How long do we have before the storm hits?” Kirk asks.

“Unknown, sir. No more than five minutes, I’d say.”

“I’ll let our hosts know we have to leave. Stand by to beam us up. Kirk out.” Kirk snaps his communicator shut just as their hosts, a pair of beautiful humanoid aliens, re-enter through a side door.

“Ah, Captain Kirk,” one of them says. He, like his companion, is tall, willowy, and dark-skinned, with long, thick dark hair. Both of them are dressed in flowing white robes, and their faces and ears glint in the soft light with piercings. “Our council has meditated on Starfleet’s offer to join the Federation, and we would be thrilled to accept.”

Kirk smiles charmingly. “I am very happy to hear that. Unfortunately, some unforeseen circumstances have come up on our ship, and myself and my First Officer must beam up right away. Shall we reconvene here at the same time tomorrow, to finalize the agreement?”

“Oh, certainly.” He smiles, then holds out a hand. Kirk takes it and they shake.

Kirk flips open his communicator again. “Ready, Scotty.”

“Energize,” Scotty says on the other end, and the beautiful dwelling begins to fade away.

For some reason, this beam-up takes a little longer than usual. Kirk sees the transporter room materialize then fade away several times before he and Spock finally appear on the transporter.

“Seems like we beamed up just in time,” Kirk comments, stepping off the transporter. He glances at Scotty, then his smile freezes in place. Something isn’t right.

It’s the sudden change in lighting that alerts him - the transporter room is bathed in a soft orange glow. He glances up to see an intricate chandelier hanging from the ceiling rather than the cold blue florescent lights he’s used to. Looking around, he also sees the emblem on Scotty’s red shirt is slightly altered - the Starfleet delta swapped out for a diamond. Two decorated guards now stand on either side of the doors to the hallway, and looking down he sees his feet rest on plush blue carpet instead of industrial steel. He glances back at Scotty, and his smile is too wide, almost painful, even though the transporter malfunctioned moments ago.

This is _not_ his Enterprise.

“True. Bit ‘o trouble with the transporter there, but she sorted herself out,” Scotty says, shrugging. “How were negotiations?”

“It went well,” Kirk answers. The officers guarding the door aren’t people he recognizes, and Kirk has made an effort over the years to know the faces of each officer serving aboard the ship. He can feel himself start to sweat. “We’re beaming back down tomorrow to finalize the deal.”

“Excellent.” Scotty gives him a short nod, then leaves the transporter room. Jim swings around to look at Spock.

“I-” he starts, but stops when Spock jerks his head toward the guards beside the door. Jim pauses, then begins again. “Mr. Spock, I’d like to see you in my quarters for a moment.”

Was it just him, or did one of the officers raise an eyebrow at that?

“Certainly, Captain,” Spock replies stiffly, then the two of them head out of the transporter room, into whatever alternate Enterprise awaits them this time.


	2. Act I

_Captain’s Log, supplemental. Myself and Mister Spock beamed up ahead of an ion storm, and now the Enterprise in which we find ourselves has been altered in baffling ways. The décor is beautiful, almost to the point of prioritizing beauty over functionality, and the crew members are overly cheerful. It is quite strange._

They pass a number of unrecognizable crew members in the halls on their way to the Captain’s quarters, all of whom smile and greet them enthusiastically. Kirk returns the greetings, somewhat bemused, while Spock simply nods. As soon as the doors swish closed behind Spock, Kirk wheels around with a question on his lips.

“The Enterprise isn’t quite right, Spock. Do you have any idea what happened?”

“It is likely we were a few seconds too late,” says Spock, “and the ion storm managed to interfere with the transporter. As for what it actually did to the transporter… I suspect we may have managed to end up in a parallel universe.”

“A parallel universe,” Kirk repeats, then glances down at his shirt, “with a parallel Starfleet and a parallel Enterprise. Like the time the landing party and I travelled to a parallel universe of brutality.”

“Precisely, Captain,” Spock replies.

“Though this universe seems to be kinder, at least. It’s not so different from our own universe, actually.” Kirk rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “At least we have that going for us.”

“The issue now, is of course, how we are to get back to our own universe,” Spock muses. “And whether we alert the crew of this Enterprise to the fact that we are not from here. We do not know their beliefs or attitudes yet, so it may be wise to act as if nothing is amiss.”

“You’re right.” Kirk says. “For now, we’ll go to our posts. We must also remain in orbit around Omelas IV - if we’re to get home using the transporter like last time, we have to be in the same place as our Enterprise.”

“Which means we have exactly one day to figure out how to return to our own universe,” Spock points out.

“We’d better get to it, then.”

Spock nods at him, then Kirk looks around his quarters for the first time. The room is mostly unchanged, but a section of the wall is occupied with artefacts from ancient Vulcan he knows he’s seen in Spock’s quarters before. He walks closer and reaches out a hand to touch a sword mounted on the wall.

“Spock, these are yours, are they not?” He asks quietly.

Spock comes to rest beside him. “They are,” he replies, a note of confusion in his voice. “That in particular is one of the last swords of S’harien, an ancient Vulcan blacksmith.”

“Why would I have your artefacts from Vulcan?” Kirk asks. He can think of one reason why, but that reason is too good to hope for, so he pushes it to the back of his mind.

“I do not know, Captain.” Spock’s face is unfathomable. Kirk can usually decipher his First Officer’s subtle expressions, but now Spock seems to have shut down his facial expressions entirely. It’s worrying.

“Let’s not worry about unimportant things.” Kirk diverts his gaze from the weapons displayed on his wall and gestures to Spock. “Let’s just get to the bridge.”

* * *

When Kirk walks on to the bridge, he’s immediately struck by how comfortable it looks. Of course, his Enterprise is designed for comfort as Starfleet’s flagship, but not like this. This room more resembles a stylish and futuristic living room than a functional bridge.

Luckily the layout of the bridge remains the same, so he and Spock have no trouble finding their posts. Lieutenant Uhura turns to him as he sinks into the Captain’s chair.

“The Governor of Omelas IV wants to speak with you on subspace frequency, Captain,” she tells him.

“Onscreen.”

A moment later, the Governor’s face appears on the viewscreen. “Captain Kirk,” he says, smiling. “As lovely as it was meeting you and Mr. Spock earlier, I wish to report that it is not necessary to beam back down the the planet tomorrow.”

Kirk raises his eyebrows. “No?”

“We wish to secure this alliance as swiftly as possible,” the Governor informs him. “We have contacted Starfleet directly, and will be finalizing the deal through a representative within the hour.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear,” Kirk replies, even as his heart sinks. “All the best to you, then.”

“And you, Captain,” says the Governor, then signs off. The viewscreen fades to a view of the planet.

“Shall I take us out of orbit, then?” asks Sulu.

“Not yet, Mr. Sulu,” Kirk says, thinking quickly. “I’d like to check the engines first, to make sure they haven’t been affected by this ion storm.”

Sulu turns to face him with a quizzical expression, and Kirk gets the distinct impression that he’s said the wrong thing. Nonetheless, he stands confidently and walks to the Turbolift. “Mr. Spock, you have the conn.”

He enters the Turbolift, and as soon as the doors shut behind him, lets out a massive sigh. Everywhere he goes, everywhere he looks, things feel infinitesimally wrong. The world doesn’t feel wrong enough to be dangerous, but even so, there’s a constant crawling on the back of his neck.

Instead of heading towards Engineering, he goes to the library and makes a beeline for the computer. He awakens it with a press of a button, and the pleasant female voice announces, “Library computer.”

Kirk hesitates for a moment, then says, “Captain’s log files. Search for mentions of a parallel universe.” He wonders if the version of himself from this universe has experienced the same things he has, and accordingly, if he travelled to the same universe of brutality.

“Working,” the computer says. There’s a whirring noise for a few moments, then it speaks again. “No logs contain mentions of a parallel universe.”

Kirk chews his lip. This means the other versions of him and Spock, now in his universe, will have no idea how to get home. It’s up to him and his Spock to figure this out.

“Full personnel file on Captain James T. Kirk,” he says next. If there’s any major differences between him and his alternate version, he wants to know.

“Working. Captain James T. Kirk, summary. Born March twenty-second-”

“Stop,” Kirk says. “Display onscreen.” His information flashes up on the monitor, and he leans in to read it. He skims the summary quickly, wanting to get to the career portion of his file, but pauses when his eye catches a glimpse of Spock’s name. He scrolls back up to read it.

_Spouse: S’chn T’gai Spock, as of Stardate 3372._

Jim feels heat flood into his cheeks. So his half-suppressed, wishful thoughts earlier were true. He and Spock, married in this universe. And that Stardate… That was the day he witnessed Spock go through _pon farr_. Kirk could never forget that day.

Kirk leans back in his chair and closes his eyes for a moment. He’s had a crush on his first officer since long before the listed Stardate, but never dared make a move. His reasoning was twofold - firstly, doubts of whether Spock feels the same plagued his mind, and secondly, Starfleet forbids relationships between the senior staff anyway. Apparently in this universe he had neither of those reasons to stop him.

It’s overwhelmingly tempting to shut the computer off, return to the bridge, and order Mr. Sulu to take the ship out of orbit. The one thing he wants the most in the universe, and it’s within his grasp. He and Spock could stay, live in a universe where he wouldn’t have to hide his love for his First Officer.

Once again, it’s his doubt that stops him. Just because this universe’s Spock returns his affections doesn’t mean his Spock does, Kirk reasons. Besides, then he’d be condemning their alternate selves to live in a universe where they would have to hide their relationship. It’s only just to return to the proper universe, set things right.

That doesn’t make it any easier to shut the computer off and head down to Engineering, though.


	3. Act II

_Captain’s log, supplemental. In this parallel universe in which Mr. Spock and I have found ourselves, we are a married couple. I must inform Spock if we are to fool the crew into thinking nothing is amiss. It will be awkward, but it is necessary._

Kirk pulls out his communicator and comms Spock. “Mr. Spock, report to Engineering.”

“Yes, Captain,” comes Spock’s voice on the other end. Kirk flips his communicator closed and continues walking. He enters the Turbolift and takes it down. Stepping off at Engineering, he stands in the hall, waiting for Spock.

“Captain,” he hears, and turns to see Scotty approaching. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to check the engines, Scotty,” Kirk says. “Make sure that ion storm didn’t damage our systems before we head out of orbit.”

Scotty’s expression twists into confusion. “I don’t think that’s possible, Captain.”

“You never know,” Kirk says. Why is it that every time he mentions the engines, it seems like he’s said something wrong? “There’s been several Starfleet reports on the negative effects of ionization of dilithium crystals.”

“What are you talking about?” Scotty asks. Just then, the Turbolift doors open and Spock walks out. Kirk jumps on the distraction.

“Spock,” he says, as Spock comes to a stop beside him. Thinking quickly, he recalls an action he witnessed Spock’s mother and father do - a Vulcan action of endearment. He holds out two fingers to Spock.

Spock glances down, and his cheeks immediately colour, but he presses two fingers to Kirk’s anyway. Kirk glances at Scotty out of the corner of his eye; he doesn’t seem perturbed. “Can I speak to you alone for a moment?” He asks Spock.

“Certainly.” The word _Captain_ is painfully missing from the end of Spock’s sentence.

Kirk leads him down a small hallway for a little more privacy. “Sorry about that,” he says under his breath.

“Are you aware of the significance of the action we just performed?” Spock asks, equally quietly.

“Well, not exactly,” Kirk replies, “but I recalled it from when-”

“It is the Vulcan equivalent of a human kiss,” Spock interrupts.

“Oh.” Kirk feels his cheeks heat up again. “I’m sorry, Spock, I didn’t know. I just did it because I was aware it’s something bonded Vulcans do. And, well, we’re married in this universe.” It all comes out in a rush.

Spock’s eyebrows just about hit the ceiling. “Married?”

“I was looking up my personnel file on the computer,” Kirk tells him, “and it lists you as my spouse. We’ve been married since Stardate 3372.”

Spock seems at a loss for words.

“I know, I was pretty shocked too,” Kirk continues nervously. “And I know this is really awkward, but I had to tell you, since we’re trying to be inconspicuous.”

“I see,” Spock finally says. “So we must act in more of an intimate manner than we usually do.”

“Yeah, I guess, but it doesn’t have to be weird,” he blabbers, “we can totally forget about it once we get home, if you-”

“We have to get home first, before we can think of that,” Spock says gently.

“You’re right. As always.” Kirk runs a hand through his hair. “Another thing, is it possible the ship could run on a different power source than our Enterprise?”

“Yes, it is entirely possible,” Spock replies. “In an infinite number of parallel universes, there are an infinite number of possible changes. The power source of the ship could be one of many.”

Kirk sighs. “Every time I mention something about the engines, I get strange looks. I’m beginning to think dilithium crystals don’t even exist in this universe.”

“They may not,” Spock says.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Spock nods, so Kirk leads him back to the Engineering decks. Scotty has disappeared somewhere among the Jeffries tubes, so they cross the engine room quietly. However, in place of the chickenwire barrier separating the room and the actual engine of the Enterprise, there’s simply a blank, smooth wall.

“The engine’s… not here.” Kirk says, nonplussed.

Spock steps up to the wall and runs his hands over it. “There does not appear to be a hidden catch in the wall,” he says. “The engine must be located elsewhere.”

“Alright,” Kirk replies. “Let’s pull up a map of the ship on the computer. We need to find the engines anyway, to buy us some time to get out of here.”

Spock nods, and they head back to the Turbolift.

“Deck thirteen,” Kirk says, and the Turbolift starts moving.

“Jim,” Spock says quietly, and Kirk’s head jerks up at the use of his first name. “I would like to confess something.”

“Go on,” Kirk replies.

“Although it was indeed a shock to learn that you and I are bonded in this universe, it is not an unpleasant piece of information,” he says. He holds Kirk’s gaze steadily, and Kirk is struck by how much warmth his eyes hold, even as the rest of his face tries so hard to banish any and all emotion. “If I am to be perfectly candid, I harbour romantic feelings for you. You need not reciprocate - I know nothing may occur between us in our own universe. For this reason, I had not planned on telling you. However, now that we are in a situation where we must act in an intimate manner, I feel it would be wrong to keep this information from you.”

Kirk can’t stop the silly grin that spreads over his face. “Spock, I- I feel the same.” He leans forward and grasps Spock’s shoulders. “I didn’t want to tell you because I thought you wouldn’t reciprocate.” He laughs. “We’re idiots, Spock.”

Spock allows himself a small smile. “Indeed.” He holds out his hand, and Kirk connects their fingers.

“May I kiss you in the human way?” Kirk whispers, and Spock nods.

Kirk leans forward and embraces Spock in the way he’s always wanted to, wrapping his arms around his First Officer and kissing him deeply. He melts into it, never wanting this moment to end, never wanting to leave this universe.

The Turbolift’s doors open with a beep, and they jump apart sheepishly. They head into the library and wake up the computer.

“Starfleet documents, full map of the USS Enterprise, serial number NCC-1701,” says Spock.

“Working,” the computer replies. “Onscreen.”

They both lean in to peer at the map. “It looks quite similar to our Enterprise,” Kirk mutters.

“There.” Spock points to a small square just below the main engine room. It is labelled _Warp Core Power Source._

“That’s on deck twenty-eight,” says Kirk. “Let’s go, I want to get to the bottom of this.”

* * *

The Turbolift doors open on deck 28, and Kirk and Spock exit. “I wonder why the engine’s down here,” Kirk muses. “This deck is all just useless storage. It’s the equivalent of keeping a kitchen in the broom closet hallway.”

“Perhaps these broom closets are filled with more useful equipment,” Spock suggests.

“Maybe.”

They come to a stop before an unmarked door. “This is it,” Kirk declares. This door, strangely, isn’t an automated one, so he reaches forward and turns the handle, then slowly pushes the door open. Neither he nor Spock are in any way prepared for the sight that greets them.

The room is dark, and extremely small - no larger than a few paces wide and long. The only light comes from a blinking metal device fastened to the head of a child hunched over in the corner. The child looks to be about six years old. Its head is shaved and its skin is streaked with sweat and its own excrement, a foul stench emanating from the pile of feces in which it sits. It is emaciated, with a round belly and stick-thin arms and legs. As they watch, the child makes a low keening noise and begins to rock back and forth, scrubbing at its face with dirty hands. In the other corner are two bowls, one filled with a disgusting-looking slop, and the other with cloudy water. Bile rises in Kirk’s throat as he watches the child rock and cry helplessly.

“See, Captain?” Comes Scotty’s voice from behind them, and Kirk and Spock whip around to face him. “I told you nothing was wrong.”


	4. Act III

“Nothing is wrong?!” Kirk repeats incredulously. “What do you mean? How long has this been going on? Whose child is this?!”

Scotty doesn’t answer any of Kirk’s questions, he just cocks his head. “Captain, did you two hit your heads down on the planet?”

“Even if this is normal for you, Mr. Scott,” says Spock, stepping forward, “you must recognize how horrific this is.”

Scotty shrugs. “Well of course, but it’s just the way things are.”

Kirk gapes. “Is this what starships run on in this universe? The misery of a defenceless child?!”

“I definitely made the right choice,” Scotty mutters, once again ignoring Kirk’s question. “If you’ve forgotten something so basic and fundamental, there must be something wrong.”

“What do you mean, the right choice?” Kirk demands. At that moment, the Turbolift doors open and a few security officers charge towards him and Spock.

“I called Dr. McCoy,” Scotty answers, as the security officers brace Kirk’s arms behind his back. They do the same to Spock. “You were acting strangely, so I thought something might have happened to you and Mr. Spock. It seems I was right.”

“Well, I do feel nauseous all of a sudden,” Kirk snaps. “There’s no need to restrain us,” he says to the security officers. “We’ll willingly go to sickbay.” Spock nods in agreement.

They release his arms, and Kirk rubs them. “Let’s go,” one of the security officers says, jerking his head toward the Turbolift. They start walking.

* * *

“Bones, do you know what fuels this ship?” Kirk asks desperately, lying on the biobed.

“Yes, of course,” Dr. McCoy says in a gentle voice, his voice that’s reserved for calming down patients. Kirk refuses to be calmed down. “Dynorphin peptides. That’s basic starship trivia information.”

“Do you know how they get it?” Kirk presses.

“I know about the child, Jim,” he says, and Kirk’s world tips to the side. If Bones, the kindest and most compassionate man he knows, can accept this so calmly, then this universe is infinitely crueller than he suspected. “There’s not a single person on this ship ignorant of the child.”

Dr. McCoy swivels the biobed to let him up. “Physically, you’re in peak condition. But I’m gonna have to keep you here for a couple days so we can figure out what happened to make you forget about the child. Anything shocking or traumatic happen on the planet’s surface?”

“No.” Jim gets to his feet. “The only thing shocking or traumatic that happened was discovering that child.”

Dr. McCoy shakes his head as Spock gets on to the biobed. “It’s not a pleasant thing,” he says, scanning Spock, “but it is what it is.”

“This passive attitude is certainly unusual for you, Dr. McCoy,” Spock comments, as Dr. McCoy begins to scan him. “In my experience with you, your human stubbornness would forbid it.”

Dr. McCoy frowns. “Even with memory loss, you can’t resist a dig at me, huh?” He puts down the scanner. “You’re also physically fine - as fine as anyone with that green stuff in their veins can be.”

Spock gets up. “Right now, I am perfectly content to have non-human blood,” he says coldly.

“Bones,” Kirk says, “I’m asking you as a friend, please explain all this to me. Is our ship the only one that runs on these peptides? How can Starfleet allow this?”

“All ships run on dynorphins,” Dr. McCoy tells them. “They’re basically the opposite of endorphins. The brain releases them when an individual is in extreme pain or distress. The child’s distress powers everything on the ship - the warp drive, impulse power, our life support systems. It’s simple math that allows us to collect dynorphins this way: one person’s pain and misery for four hundred and thirty others’ happiness and security.”

“A trade-off,” Spock says. “Logical, yet utterly abhorrent.”

“How can you live with yourself?” Kirk asks, appalled. “How can we?” He thinks of his and Spock’s counterparts, happily in love while fully aware of the torture of an innocent child aboard their ship. He feels sick again.

“You learn to accept it,” Dr. McCoy says softly. He looks around, then picks up a hypospray from a side table. “It’s the same as, say, the materials in this hypospray.” He hands it to Kirk, who holds it up to the light. “That’s made of surgical-grade steel. To make the steel, workers had to slave away in horrible mining conditions, under risk of death at all times. That is the payment for each cured and cared-for patient aboard the ship.” Kirk hands it back to him. “The happiness of any given person is built on others’ pain.”

“Even so,” Kirk protests, “I can’t do anything about the working conditions of miners in some faraway colony. This is a person suffering right in front of my eyes, on a ship I am in charge of. If I am responsible for the health, safety, and happiness of this ship, that child’s suffering is my responsibility. Isn’t it always best to reduce pain and suffering wherever we can, even if people somewhere else have to suffer? It’s our duty as officers to do all we can, and we ought to start with what’s right in front of us!”

“You may be right,” says Dr. McCoy. “But think about it practically. How else is the ship to be powered? What to do with the child once it’s released?”

“The child could certainly be rehabilitated, then sent to a foster home or a couple who wishes to adopt,” Kirk counters. “And the dynorphins could be created artificially, couldn’t they, Spock?”

Spock hesitates. “Theoretically, they could,” he says. “It has been near impossible to do in real life. It would require a great deal of research to find a way to produce them steadily and in large quantities.”

“But it’s possible,” says Kirk. “That means we have to try.”

“You two are staying right here until we figure out what gave you amnesia,” Dr. McCoy says sharply, picking up the hypospray again. “No one is trying to artificially create dynorphins on my watch.”

“Bones, please. You gotta-” Before Kirk can finish his sentence, Dr. McCoy stabs the hypospray into his arm, then the world goes dark.

* * *

Kirk awakens to find himself strapped to the biobed. He twists his head to the side, hearing his neck crack, to see Spock lying in the bed next to him, similarly restrained. “Spock!” He whisper-shouts.

“Yes, Jim?” Spock replies quietly.

“Do you know if we’ve left orbit yet?”

“We have not,” he answers. “We are remaining in orbit until our ‘amnesia’ is cured and we can proceed with our next orders.”

“Good,” Kirk says, thinking. “That gives us time to figure out our next move.”

“Indeed,” Spock says. “I know you wish to free the child before we go home, but we may not be able to do both. If we manage to escape sickbay, we will have a narrow window of time in which to act before the Doctor finds us and drags us back. With the difficulty of producing dynorphins, we will likely not have enough time to free the child and escape to our own universe.”

Kirk groans, looking up at the ceiling. “God. So it’s whichever is worth more: the child’s freedom, or our alternate selves’ marriage.”

“Jim, I care for you more than anyone else,” Spock whispers. “But we cannot stay. I do not wish to leave our alternate selves, who are capable of so much cruel, willful ignorance, in charge in our own universe.”

Kirk chews his lip. “That’s a good point. Could we possibly begin creating dynorphins in one of the labs, then leave it for someone else to take over when we leave?”

“Who would take over?”

“I could possibly convince Bones,” Kirk replies. “He is my friend, after all, and I know, deep down, he must be the same kind, stubborn, idealistic old country doctor our Bones is. At least, I hope he is.”

“Dr. McCoy does seem our best option,” Spock agrees.

“Once we get out of sickbay, we’ll split up,” Kirk says. “You head to a lab to get a start on creating some dynorphins. I’ll head to Engineering to try to find a way to get us back. Last time, there was a surge in power that affected the transporter, and we used that to get home. Hopefully the same principles apply to a ship that runs on dynorphin peptides.”

At that moment, Nurse Chapel enters the room, and Kirk falls silent. “I have to take you two to the exam ward to undergo some tests,” she says. “We’ll start with Mr. Spock.”

She undoes his restraints and he stands, rubbing his wrists. “I am sorry, Miss Chapel,” he says, then nerve-pinches her. He lowers her to the ground gently, then undoes Kirk’s restraints.

“Let’s go, Spock,” he says. “No time to waste.”


	5. Act IV

Kirk enters the engine room cautiously. The room is empty except for two men quietly working at their stations. He sneaks up behind the one closest to him and tries for a silent takedown, but the must sense his presence, because he turns at the last second. Kirk strikes him and he falls on to his console, but he quickly defends himself. They struggle for a moment, the other officer coming to back up his colleague, but Kirk eventually knocks them both out with a few well-placed karate chops. He stands in the middle of the room for a moment, catching his breath, and straightens his uniform.

Next, he makes his way to one of the stations. He’s in no way an engineer, but he knows enough about starships to divert some power from the main systems to the transporter. At least, he hopes so.

He opens up a panel with a screwdriver and scrutinizes the wires within. It looks just like the inner workings of his own ship, and he breathes a sigh of relief. He doesn’t know how much time he has until the unconscious Nurse Chapel is found and a ship-wide search is carried out for him and Spock, so he gets to work quickly.

* * *

Spock lets himself into one of the chem labs, glancing around. Luckily, it’s deserted, so he begins setting up at a workstation: microscope, goggles, gloves. “Computer,” he says, addressing a monitor at the station. “What is the chemical formula for the dynorphin compound?”

“C ninety-nine, H one hundred fifty-five, N thirty-one, O twenty-three,” the computer replies.

Spock raises an eyebrow, but does not respond. Bending over the workstation, he begins by creating a hydrogen bond.

He’s not even halfway done when the doors slide open, and in walks Dr. McCoy. He stops, staring at Spock.

“Doctor,” Spock says in a low voice.

“For God’s sake, Spock.” Dr. McCoy doesn’t let him finish his sentence. “Come back to sickbay. If you want to work on this project, I won’t be able to stop you. But isn’t it _logical_ to find the cause of your memory loss first?”

Spock hesitates, then sets down his tools. “Doctor, I do not have any memory loss, and neither does the Captain.”

Bones scoffs. “Don’t give me that Spock, it’s clear you do.”

“No, Doctor. We are, in fact, not the people you know at all,” Spock continues. “This may be incredible to you, but earlier, when Jim and I were beaming up from the planet, the ion storm affected the transporter, and your Captain and First Officer were beamed to an alternate reality. Jim and I were, in turn, transported here in their place.”

Bones furrows his brows together. “A swap between dimensions? Is that possible?”

“You need not ask me.” Spock turns to the computer. “Computer, produce all data from the recent ion storm.”

“Working.” The computer whirs. “Completed.”

“Analyze, for the following hypothesis. Could the ion storm have affected the transporters the moment they were in use, causing two parallel universes to come into contact?”

“Affirmative.”

“Could individuals, caught in the transporter during the beam-up process, switch universes?”

“Affirmative.”

Bones regards him suspiciously. “So you’re saying, the reason you and Jim are freakin’ out is because you’re from a parallel universe where ships run on somethin’ else?”

“Correct.” Spock takes a step towards Dr. McCoy. “Doctor, if you do not want to help Jim and I find an alternate power source before we go back to our own universe, you do not have to. But please, turn a blind eye for now. Do not stop me. I do not need to remind you I possess superior strength.”

“No, you don’t,” Dr. McCoy replies. “But Spock, what is your plan if you do succeed in artificially creating dynorphins? Starfleet won’t want to replace their existing system, it’s much easier. Most likely, we’ll be on the artificially created power supply for a few weeks, then revert back.”

“Even if that happens, it will be better than no change at all.” Spock steps back to the workstation. “Before any kind of structural change, it always seemed impossible to challenge the system, both in Terran and Vulcan histories. But there were people who dared to try, and change was achieved slowly. This may not be the sudden overturning of this brutal policy that Jim hopes it to be, but I believe that if we can simply start to affect change, reformation can be achieved in the long run.”

At that moment, Spock’s communicator beeps. He pulls it out. “Spock here.”

“Spock,” comes Jim’s voice on the other end, “I’ve managed to reroute some of the power from the engines to the transporter. We should be able to get home.”

“Excellent, Jim,” Spock says, then glances at Dr. McCoy. “And about the artificial dynorphins?”

“I have to find Bones,” Kirk replies. “Shit, I forgot.”

Dr. McCoy steps up to Spock’s communicator. “I’m here, Jim. What is it?”

“Bones! Listen, we need you to preserve Spock’s artificial dynorphin, and try to continue work on it. I know you, Bones. You must hate the situation with the child as much as we do, and here’s a chance to try and fix it.”

“I’m a doctor, not a pharmacologist,” Bones says, “I can’t just spend all my time makin’ compounds, as sympathetic to your cause as I am.”

“Then try and convince us to keep working on it.”

“I told him about the parallel universes, Jim,” Spock adds.

“Right. Bones, when our alternate selves come back, we need you to convince them to continue with this project.”

“Well, I’ll try, Jim,” Bones sighs. “But you know yourselves. You both can be stubborn as hell when you want to, and Spock in particular hates it when I have a valid point.” He throws a look at Spock, standing next to him.

“It may be difficult, that is true,” Spock says.

“But you’ll try. That’s what matters,” Jim says. “Thank you, Bones.”

* * *

Spock enters the transporter room to see Kirk standing behind the control panel.

“I’ve wired it so that the excess power comes from the warp cores,” he says, fiddling with a few buttons. “I just need to set the timer, then we can go home.”

“Before we do so, Jim,” Spock says, “I suppose we should address what, if anything, is to happen between us in our own universe.”

Kirk feels himself blush. “Right.” He steps around the control panel. “Well, what is there to discuss? We can’t be in a relationship.”

Spock looks pained. “Just as it used to be, then?”

Kirk sighs. “I suppose. Unless you want to be in a relationship secretly. We could try. But-” he bites his lip sheepishly- “If I was to be your boyfriend, I’d like to tell everyone, shout it from the rooftops.”

The corners of Spock’s lips quirk upward. “I as well, though it is indeed illogical. Friendship, then.”

“Friendship,” Kirk confirms softly, then takes Spock’s hand. Spock shivers. “At least, until the end of the five-year mission. Shall we say, after the voyages of the Enterprise are done, we’ll go out for drinks?”

“That would be… quite agreeable.” Spock smiles softly, his eyes lighting up.

Kirk mirrors his smile, then leans in for a last kiss. It’s slow and heartfelt, and they both savour each second of it.

Kirk pulls away, then quickly sets the timer on the control panel. They both get on the transporter, and watch as the alternate Enterprise shimmers and fades away.

* * *

A few hours later, when they’re safe and sound back in their own universe, and the bridge crew’s curiosity has been sated with a brief and highly-edited version of their little excursion, Dr. McCoy harrumphs crossly.

“Well, I’m on your side there, Jim,” he says. “That’s an extremely cruel system. I can’t believe the other version of me was so willing to accept it.”

Kirk shrugs. “In a way, I can understand it. They had no hardships and everything they could want. It was like payment for that bliss.”

“Still,” says Dr. McCoy. “Nothing’s worth that kind of payment.”

“Agreed, gentlemen,” Spock says from the science station. His gaze lingers on Kirk for a little longer than normal, and Kirk catches his eye.

_Well, almost nothing,_ Kirk thinks. “Ahead warp factor one, Sulu.”

**Author's Note:**

> I ripped a lot of the technical aspects from the actual Mirror, Mirror episode, and the moral aspects from LeGuin's short story, so in the end this is basically just spirk with extra steps, lmao. Hope you enjoyed anyway! Merry Christmas/Happy holidays :)


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